Etymologically
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submissive

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Pronunciation

  • /səbˈmɪsɪv/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English submiss + -ive.[2] The OED, Etymonline, Merriam-Webster and Klein take the first part as the stem of Latin submissus, past participle of submittō (“to lower, let down, put under”),[3][4][5][6] the source of submit, from sub- (“under”) and mittō (“to let go, send”).[4] The adjective submiss is slightly earlier in English.[3] The Oxford dictionaries instead derive submissive from submission, on the pattern of remission and remissive.[7][8] The OED compares Medieval Latin submissivus, recorded from 1606 or earlier, and Italian sommessivo of the 15th century.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Yielding to power or authority; humble, obedient: 1572, in a sermon by D. Fergusson.[3][5] Etymonline and Dictionary.com date it to the 1580s.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

From 1589 it was construed with to, and before 1593 Marlowe used it figuratively of something material, yielding or passive.[3] Johnson (1755) defined it as "humble; testifying submission or inferiority", quoting Shakespeare's "On what submissive message art thou sent?" and Milton.[9] The 17th and 18th centuries also used it of a low, subdued voice (1632) and of restrained, moderate behaviour (1753), both now rare.[3] As a noun, a person or animal that yields to authority, it dates from before 1763.[3] The sexual sense, the partner who takes the submissive role in sadomasochistic activity, as opposed to the dominant one, is recorded from 1969, and the noun in this sense from the 1970s.[3][4][5]

Timeline

  • 1572 – yielding to power or authority; humble, obedient.[3][5]
  • 1589 – with to.[3]
  • before 1593 – figuratively, of a material thing, yielding, passive.[3]
  • 1632 – of the voice, low, subdued (now rare).[3]
  • before 1763 – noun, a submissive person or animal.[3]
  • 1969 – in sexual activity, taking the submissive role.[3][4]
  • 1974 – noun, the submissive partner in sadomasochistic sex.[3][5] Etymonline dates this noun to 1985.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Inclined or ready to submit to others; showing submission; obedient or humble: The puppy rolled onto its back in a submissive posture.[5][10][3]
  2. In sexual activity, taking the role of the partner who gives up control, as opposed to the dominant one.[3][4]

Noun

  1. A person who gives up sexual power and control to a partner, especially in BDSM.[5][3]
  2. A person or animal that yields to power or authority.[3]

Word family

  • submissively
  • submissiveness
  • nonsubmissive
  • unsubmissive

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  7. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  10. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins